Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-08-16

such death like trance and his agony ut the
thought that she might be dead in reality was
all the more terrible, as he could not share il
with any one. The day waned and Sofia was
buried at sunset, aud the icy cold body was
laid in its shallow grave; and when the peo-
pie had gone Yeorgio returned and knelt by
the new made grave. Friends tried to draw
him away, but he begged them to leave him
there to pray; and they retired. leaving him
beside the little mound, and as soon as the
shades of night had fallen around him lie set
to work with frantic haste, and with his bare
hands he tore away the earth which barely
covered the thin coffin, according to their
habit o. burial, and before long he had drawn
her inanimate form from the frail box
Hardly had he finished when he heard the
slow creaking of the arabah, and i'll a few
minutes low hiss was given, and soon the
body of Sofia was placed inside and Yeorgio
donned the Turkish costume which was hand
ed him i'll silence; and then he took his posi-
ton as driver and started away as rapidly as
the white oxen could go.
In the meantime the woman and man in
side the arabah began rubbing her hands and
pressing her chest and forcing some liquid
furnished them by the Nubian into her
mouth, and at last these attentions took
effect, and Sofia slowly recovered her breath:
the rude jolting OF the ARABIAN helping ma
terlally in restoring warmth and circulation
AS soon as she began to show signs of re-
turning life Yeorgio was told and he went on
with lightened heart, yet fearing discovery,
for he knew too well that If Rassim Bey or
any of his subordinates should discover that
Sofia was still alive she would be pursued
and every soul in the village be bitterly pun
ished for the DECEPTION.
So he prodded the patient oxen to such
good effect that by daybreak he was many
miles away. According to the custom Of the
country he stopped at a small village and
there exchanged his tired oxen for fresher
ones. none daring to refuse what they sup
posed, Rassim's orders, and they obtained
some warm milk, which with the food in the
ARABIAN sustained them.
Sofia grew better every hour, and now
Yeorgio took turns in sitting in the ARABIAN
when they were out Of sight Sofia was
dressed as Turkish woman, with the sacred
veil, or yashnak, over her face, so she would
be safe even if any one did see her, as the
Bulgarans would not interfere with her any
how from fear of the Turks, and no Turk, no
matter how lawless, would dare lay his hand
upon Turkish woman. SO they journeved
along, and it took them ten days to reach the
frontier, which they crossed with thankful
hearts. In the box which the Nubian had
given Yeorgio were 100 Turkish liras, about
$500, and five handsome diamonds worth
twice as much, which made up together a
sum which these two could never have
boarded in their lives under Turkish rule.
Yeorgio and Sofia were then married, and
they took little farm and settled down to
lead a peaceful, happy life, and they were
happy except from the longing homesickness
that lay heavy on their hearts for the home
they had always known, and though they had
herds and cattle, strange to say, they always
talked more of their little lean pe and
scrubby brindled COW than of all they had
now, and the memory Of them was Gparer
than ALL
There had been some surprise at finding
Sofas grave open and the body gone. and
also at the absence of Yeorgio; but in that
country the belief in supernatural agencies is
so great that it was spoken Of with awe. No
one knew what had really happened except
the Nubian, and he kept his counsel.
AT last, after two years had passed, a tray-
eler came into the village, and in the course
Of conversation he said that he had seen
Yeor~'o and Sofia in a small farming village
in Servia. near the border, and tney were
married and living there in great prosperity;
and in short time the news was spread ali
over the village. and soon came to the ears of
Rassim Bey, who was furious, and he visited
the most terrible punishment upon the farm
er's family, who were ly ignorant and
innocent of Sofas escape. He took every
thing they possessed and bas,inadoed them
and drove them out Of the village, and had
the village priest brought before him, and
horseshoes were nailed upon his feet and he
was made to run around the village until he
dropped dead from pain and fatigue and bay
onet prods.
Ieorgio and Sofia felt secure, and supposed
that no one knew Of their existence, as they
felt in their simple minds that Servia was
very, very far from Bulgaria and they lived
IN peace and security until one morning lust
at daybreak they heard a great Gathering of
horses hoofs In their yard, and going to their
windows found themselves surrounded by
Rassin Bey's soldiers, who had dared to cross
the border to wreak vengeance upon this poor
couple.
They knew they were lost There was no
hope OF help or escape, and so they knelt one
on each side of the cradle that held their
precious baby boy, and there they stad until
the soldiers surrounded them and out them to
dea'h as they knelt. Their blood flowed.
mingled, upon the child, who cried, and then
one soldier, more fiendish than the rest, thrust
his sword down through that baby breast.
This was one of the horrors that led to the
Russo Turkish war, and opened the eyes Of
the world to the nameless and cruel atrocities
inflicted upol q patient. simple and worthy
people.
But poor little Sofia, in the first JOYS OF
and her brave and devoted
Yeorgio were butchered in cold blood. unre.
sistins, and they lie buried away frcm their
beloved country. OLIVE HARPER
Our Waite OF Timber